Improvement in ventilating water-closets and urinals



A 12.11.01 SMITH. Ventilating wa terrfil osets a'nd Urinals AM.PHOTO-UTHOGIMPHIL ea In: (osaamvs moms) STATES PATE 1 f nonnn'r 1). 0."SMITH, or WASHINGTON, nrsrnroron OOLUMBIA..

IMPROVEMENT I'N VENTILATING WATER-CLOSETS AND URINALS.

- Specification forming part ofLeiters PatentNo. 136,105, dated February18, 1873.

To all whom it may concm:

Be it'known that I, ROBE T D. 0. SMITH, of Washington, in the Districtof Columbia-,have

invented anew and useful Improvement in the Mode of VentilatingWater-Closets and Urinals; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying rawing, in which-- --'-Figures 1 and 3 represent indiagram the an upward flow of air is produced by means of a furnace orother source of heat when the necessary current would not be produced bynatural causes. Said shafts have been connected with the apartments tobe ventilated by communicating ducts, whereby air has been exhaustedfrom said apartments. I am aware that sewers have also been ventilatedin the same way; I therefore desire to be understood as not claiminganything as to the principles involved; but only as to the specialapplication of those principles to accomplish the ventilation ofwater-closets, urinals, sinks, traps, and other depositories forofiensive matters, in the particular manner hereinafter fully set forth.

That others may understand fully the practical means which I propose toemploy for this purpose I will particularly describe them.

A represents the bowl, say, of a water-closet. B is the soil-pipe tocarry away the matters deposited therein, and deliver them into thesewer. (J is the stench-trap.

When human excreta is deposited in the bowl A the heat of this excretararefies the air within the bowl and soil pipe above the trap C, and thefoul odors are therebyimmediately projected upward into the apartment,from which no system of ventilation hitherto employed has effectuallyremoved them, except by an outlet, D, in the pipe immediately below thebowl A, inclining the same upward so thatwategwill not rest therein,said outlet bein g connected with a ventilatingflue in any convenientpart of the building. For waterclosets within dwellings, the kitchensmokeflue or a flue immediately contiguous thereto would be best'forthis purpose, as such flue would be warmed daily, and therefore wouldpossess at all times an upward flow of air, and, consequently, adownwardflow-through the bowl A would be insured, as shown by the arrows.Generally any long vertical flue will, if open at the bottom, insuresufficient draft.

If not convenient to connect the outlet D with a chimney orflue it maybe connected with the rain-spout; and there will be an additionaladvantage with this arrangement-t. 0., the water escaping from therain-spout will flush out the trap O and pipe B during every rain-fall,while at all times, when rain is not falling, the rain-spout willconduct the odors from the closet to the open air at the rain-gutters.

There are many ways of inducing a draft by mechanical means if naturalcauses prove not to be sufficient in any case. These means, such asfans, furnaces, &c., are well known and require no description; but theleast troublesome and least expensive is the constant flow of the wateralways supplied to a watercloset or urinal. This will act in the way ofthe well-known Tromb, and the induced air current will escape through D,and whatever pipe or duct that it is connected with.

It may be necessary, for the production of the best result in thislast-named way, to enlarge the soil-pipe around the outlet D, as at d,shown in'Fig. 2, to allow a slight accumulation of air at that point.

In Fig. 2, the heavy arrow with black disk at its center represents..the flow of water; all

other arrows indicate air currents.

To apply my improvement to urlnals and other depositories referred towill not require any further invention; but I nevertheless think itadvisable to illustrate one or two modifications of the construction ofwater-closet bowls and urinals.

Figs. 6 and 7 exhibit two urinals, in the former of which the exhaust orventilating current is taken upward, being drawn under a screen, S, withthe escaping water and urine.

In the latter the escaping water andurine with the ventilating-currentall pass downward, and the air escapes through a lateral opening, asheretofore described.

In Figs. 3 and 4 are shown modifications of water-closet bowls, whereinthe ventilating outlet is made a part of the bowl itself instead ofbeing a-separate attachment applied to the soil-pipe, as in Fig. 2. Thisis thought to be the preferable mode, because the bowl then becomes acomplete manufaeture, and the ventilating-pipes and attachments are thenlocated above the fioor and at all times easily accessible. In Fig. 5this is shown as applied to a bowl with a water-pan, such as arecommonly used for water-closets within dwellings, whereby foul odorswill not be caught in the bowlease to escape into the apartment wheneverthe pan is lowered.

It may sometimes happen that the air current passing down through theseat may be unpleasantly strong while the closet is being used. In suchcases a bowl with an air-inlet valve, Y, may be employed, said valvebeing openedby depression of the seat W or other portion of the-apparatus, so that while a person is sitting upon said seat said valvewill be open and air be admitted thereat; but at all other times saidvalve will be closed and the draft aironly admitted through the seat.This I think to be the preferable method; but others may prefer to makethe valve, or an openin g similarly without a valve, the constant inletfor the air current.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, is- V 1. A bowl, A,provided with an enlargement or chamber d, and an outlet, D,substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the bowl A and outlet D the opening V, with orwithout a valve, substantially for the purpose set forth.

R. D. 0. SMITH. Witnesses:

J. O. LvoNs, GEO. BARTLE.

